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Heralds of the Storm
The Heralds of the Storm, or Storm Heralds, are a Codex-Divergent 25th 'Bastion' Founding Successor Chapter of the honored Penitent Knights Chapter. Created during the 40th Millennium, the Heralds are a stalwart Crusading Chapter, almost always bringing the Emperor's benedictions to the uncountable battlezones across the Imperium. No battle is too humble nor too indomitable for the Heralds to hesitate in deploying an appropriate response to an enemy of mankind. Being descendants of the Penitent Knights, the Heralds have inherited an incredibly monastic culture, looking to the omens of the God-Emperor to guide them in times of struggle or sorrow, but they also share in the shame of the existence of the Crow's Children Chaos Warband and the mystery of the origin of their gene-seed. But where the Penitent Knights focus on the defense of their demesne of the Asteria Sub-sector, the Heralds of the Storm believe in earning their atonement with relentless victory in the Emperor's name. Chapter History One of the many noble and respected Chapters raised from the 25th Founding, the Heralds of the Storm were given a struggling Imperium to defend and maintain, like all of their ilk. By their own reputation, the Heralds are an honorable number of the Adeptus Astartes, and are inheritors of long refined traditions and beliefs of their parent Chapter, the Penitent Knights. Since their creation, they have established themselves as noteworthy editions to the ranks of the Imperium's bulwark, and as fierce upholders of the faith of their father Chapter, the Asterian Cult. Fervent in the holiness of the human soul and form, the Heralds will rarely and hardheartedly take negligent actions in regards to civilian life. Their variation of the Imperial Cult, while containing the belief that the Emperor of Mankind is indeed a deity, has led the Heralds of the Storm to clash or come to odds with other Imperial forces, whether on matters of tactics or theology. Because of their faithful reputation, the Chapter has earned admiration from many members of the Adeptus Ministorum, praising their commitment to defending worlds sacred to the Ministorum such as Shrine or Cardinal worlds. Though aside from matters of faith, the Heralds of the Storm had aroused some controversy when they were to be founded from the gene-stock of the ancient Penitent Knights Chapter, itself having a troublesome relationship to the High Lords of Terra, and the Inquisition. But flawed as their relations were, few could refute the Penitent Knights' effectiveness in the defense of their home, the Asteria Sub-sector of Segmentum Obscurus. Long had the war-tested Chapter stood valiant against the grasp of the alien and heretic, and a gamble was taken to use a Chapter founded from the Knights to become an ever-Crusading force, always on the offensive. But perhaps the greatest source of controversy surrounding the young Chapter would be their disregard for the Codex Astartes' guidelines for the structure of a Space Marine Chapter. Indeed, rather than ten companies of both reserve and battle variant, the Storm Heralds have only three Great Companies, each with a different focus on battle doctrine. Treading a very fine line between chastisement and glory, the Heralds have thus far earned reprieve of investigation by the favor of the Ministorum and the respectable record of victories already under the Chapter's belt. After the heroic achievements of the Penitent Knights' Lord Crusader Galastram reached their peak with his sacrifice on the Feudal World of Ostrava fighting the Dark Eldar, the High Lords began talks of the creation of a new successor Chapter that would become the Heralds of the Storm. With this great honor of siring a new force of Astartes, the Penitent Knights further bestowed other gifts upon their new successors, including several relics of their own Chapter, as well as the dark secret regarding the dreaded Crow's Children Chaos Warband, and its origins in the traitor Order of the Crow, a company of the Knights. But one secret they could not impart unto the Storm Heralds was the origins of their shared gene-seed, a mystery that likely only the Mechanicus or the Adeptus Terra could unravel. The final gift the Penitent Knights offered the Heralds was lordship over the Feudal World of Ostrava where Galastram had fell, a verdant planet of long fields and towering mountains, whose inhabitants had grown strong and suitable candidates for recruitment through continuous war and hardship, a way of life that became ingrained in the Heralds of the Storm, constantly engaging in sparring and combat drills to achieve the greatest personal effectiveness for each battle-brother. Notable Campaigns [[Coming of the Scions|'Coming of the Scions']]' (812.M40') - Following their exemplary and heroic actions during a campaign against a Chaos worshiping insectoid xenos race known as the Vya, and their celebrated success during the battle known as "Galastram's Charge," the Penitent Knights Chapter was given the honor of siring a new Successor Chapter, that being the Heralds of the Storm. The Knights were heavily involved with the beginnings of the new Chapter, devoting an entire Order, or Company, to ensure that the young Astartes would receive the best training they could, even so far as to grant the Feudal World of Ostrava for the Scions to found and build their Chapter. Soon after the Sons were considered ready for action they left the Aegimius System to patrol around the Gothic Sector for Crusades to join, eager to prove themselves. [[The Crucible|'The Crucible']]' (814.M40)' - After two Terran years of light engagement with roaming bands of xenos races, the young Heralds of the Storm Chapter found itself engaged in a much more serious war. As Chaos had begun to gain momentum in Segmentum Obscurus, and a warband of Black Legion marines crossed the path of the Storm Heralds. The loyalist Astartes found the Chaos Marines upon an unnamed Death World, where the Chapter Master, or Lord Marshall, as their culture dictates, ordered the Chapter's fleet engage the traitor warships while three of the grand companies brought battle to the Black Legion Warband on the surface of the Death World. The relatively young Astartes faced traitors with far more experience, and though few in number, fought as fiercely as could be expected. The Warlord of this Warband then used some strange technology to trap the Orders of the Heralds upon the Death World for weeks by making the planet's atmosphere extremely hazardous to prevent the use of aerial vehicles, subjecting them to arduous trials and ambushes. However, the Lord Marshall, Cadlaine, freed his brothers by slaying the Warlord and destroying the weather device. The Sons look back on this event as their first true trial. Lord Marshall Cadlaine, after returning with the survivors of the encounter, deemed that the Chapter's brothers needed to be more ready for such battles, and thus, aboard the Chapter's immense Battle Barge, the "Anvil of Valor," a grand arena was fashioned to host a constant tourney of squad-based fights between the Scions or against captured xenos beast races. Cadlaine named this tournament, the Crucible. Using non-lethal weaponry against brothers, the Sons would be a constantly sharpened blade, always improving their skills between glorious battles in the Emperor's name, or to bring pride to both the them and their progenitor Chapter. Burning of the Carrion (554.M41) - For great many millennium, the horrendous Crow's Children Warband of heretic Astartes called the Space Hulk, the Dark Carrion, their den. And for all those long years, the location of the dark construct remained hidden and elusive, to both the Penitent Knights and the Heralds of the Storm. But in the mid of the 41st Millennium, the Sons had finally discovered the Dark Carrion, hidden deep within the ungoverned and wild reaches of the Asteria Sub-sector. Immediately, the young Chapter sent word to their progenitors, but also set about working to destroy the outer defenses of the Space Hulk. For not only had the Crow's Children constructed nigh-impregnable hull modifications and bastions upon the Carrion's surface, but the traitor Astartes had also built smaller fortresses and installations across the void around the Space Hulk's position. The Heralds set themselves to task by besieging the smaller fortifications in smaller strike forces, bringing down the hammer upon the anvil, as they would say. These operations were largely successful, as the small fortresses were garrisoned by mercenaries and blackguards from the Crow's Children mortal followers, with a few Astartes present to maintain control. Over the course of two standard weeks, the Heralds were then joined by the Penitent Knights. After pleasantries and fair tidings, the two Chapters with their combined fleets managed to smash through whatever ramshackle pirate or pillaged Imperial vessels the Children had amassed for their defenses, but all became far more sobering whence both armies saw the monstrosity that was the Dark Carrion. On top of the incredibly sturdy hull of the Space Hulk was several layers of reinforced bulkheads, with spires and bastions that bore a striking resemblance to the Penitent Knights' fortress-monastery of Galadhor, as well as almost innumerable cannon embankments. To further the gravity of the task, the Lord Scholar of the Knights made the discovery that a cabal of Sorcerors were casting disruptions that made the use of teleportariums to reach the inside impossible. And so, the Lord Marshall of the Heralds created the plan of using the battle-barge Valiant Scion to smash into to Carrion and deposit the elite of his Chapter into the Children's hellish abode. Through fire, plasma, and heretical fury, the Scion smashed into the hiding place, and the full force of the Chapter's elite Redeemers scoured the foul innards of the Space Hulk. Every step of the way, they were beset by Chaos Marines and the Warband's reckless and mindless followers. So bloodthirsty and dangerous were the Children that by the time half of the defense cannons were disabled, the Heralds of the Storm's force was reduced to half strength. The Lord Marshall, Aethelar Perro, ordered the wounded of the force to return to the Valiant Scion and hail rescue while the rest of the Redeemers continued onward. The terrible truth of what befell the large party is that the Betrayer himself, Daedelus, descended upon the loyalists and tore them apart with his Raptor chosen, in a bloody battle near the engine compartment. It is speculated that one of the Redeemers, seeing the desperation of their situation, had somehow detonated a large explosion in the compartment, starting a chain reaction across the Dark Carrion. Though many of the Crow's Children managed to escape the destruction due to teleportation by Peredrath the Ruiner, most of the Warband had been punished for their sins with the destruction of their den. Mourning the selfless sacrifice of the Storm Heralds' elite, the Penitent Knights declared Aethelar and his fallen brothers heroes of both of their Chapters. Dark Calculation (120.M42) - By the time of the Forty Second Millennium, the Heralds of the Storm had done well for themselves and earned honor and prestige for their bravery on the battlefields of Segmentum Obscurus, and were reconquering the Hive World Ciarra under occupation by the Black Legion. With most of the Chapter deployed on Ciarra to recapture the Hive Cities, the Crow's Children force of Plague Marines, revitalized under Peredrath the Ruiner's guidance, launched a surprise attack on the Herald's flagship, Anvil of Valor, and unleashed a viral plague into the Battle Barge's air filtration and rendered it uninhabitable, as well as slaying the wounded and token battle-brothers left aboard the Anvil. Crippled by this insidious strike, the Heralds' pride and honor were shattered, and there was a lingering doubt in the minds of the Chapter that the sacrifice of Aethelar Perro and his chosen elite marines to destroy the Children's Space Hulk-turned Star Fortress, was made pointless as the Warband seemed to be flourishing regardless. But the current Lord Marshall, Cedrulan, dismissed these doubts by heroically capturing the capital Hive of Ciarra and led his Chapter on a hunt for the Plague Marines that humiliated them so. Organization Following in the example of the Penitent Knights, the Heralds of the Storm took their progenitor's ideas even further and divided their numbers into a mere three great companies. Said Orders are: the Redeemers, the Avengers, and the Protectors. Each great company's purpose is mostly self-evident, with the Avengers serving to bring the Emperor's reprisal onto the enemies of Mankind and thus being an incredibly offensive force specialized in total war. The Protectors have a far more defensive mission, as they will create or reconstruct bastions used during the Chapter's wars, and pride themselves with tactical acumen. The Protectors will often offer strategic advice to allied Imperial forces such as local Planetary Defense Forces or Imperial Guard regiments, but other Space Marine Chapters do not often take the word of the Heralds to heart. Finally, the Redeemers are the elite of the Chapter, housing its greatest veterans and specialists, and are used as an unstoppable hammer to smash the enemy with squads of Terminators and Veterans wielding the venerable weapons acquired by the Heralds as rewards for their unquestionable valor. The Redeemers' heraldry is a lion standard, taken from the insignia of the Penitent Knights, heralding to the Redeemer's vow to earn salvation for themselves and their forebears. The Avengers' symbol is a black sword pointing downwards, and the Protectors are represented by a black shield. Chapter Culture At the center of the Storm Heralds' beliefs and customs is the burning desire to atone for crimes their forefathers had committed, and the need to be seen as pure in the eyes of the God-Emperor, thus the brothers of the Chapter hold faith and purity above all else. In every place of significance for the Heralds, be it a launch bay, a command deck, or even an armory, there is a golden shrine to the Emperor, always depicted in full armor and his flaming sword drawn, surrounded by storm clouds producing auric lightning bolts. The size of these fanes varies in accordance to their location, but always there is a prayer engraved into the base of the shrine in high gothic text, usually associating with the surrounding environs. However, the following phrase is uniform for the shrines: "O' Emperor, great Storm-Bringer, grant us your golden gaze and shine upon us." Utterly devoted to the Emperor, the Heralds of the Storm always strive to uphold his honor and to echo his glory through their deeds, thus expecting only the perfect and flawless from their numbers. A harrowing standard, even for Space Marines, but those that rise in favor and faith are initiated into a ritualistic shift of the color of their ceramite plate. Known as "the Auric Touch," whenever a battle-brother demonstrates greatness of prowess or zeal, a procession of Chaplains will honor the individual Marine in ceremony and a singular article of his armor will be painted bright gold, common examples are poleyns and vambraces. Recruitment As the Heralds of the Storm are a primarily fleet-based Chapter, they do not limit themselves to one planet to draw Aspirants from, unlike the Penitent Knights. Thusly, the Heralds will examine the populace of a world they've either fought on, or helped save, and will recruit from there. No matter what background these neophytes come from, they are taught to both respect and adhere to the ways of their Chapter. And when a group of neophytes are deemed ready, they will enter the Crucible and spar against one another. Those that excel or otherwise impress the present Chaplains will be selected for admission into the ranks of the Heralds, whereas the other "failed" neophytes are either allowed to become the Chapter's serfs, or may try a second and final time in the next bout of neophytes. Gene-seed Inheriting their sacred Gene-seed from their parent Chapter, they also inherited the mystery of its origin. To this very day, both the Heralds and Penitent Knights are unaware of which Primarch is their gene-father. However, despite the shroud of mysterious shame, the sheer purity and lack of mutations within the gene-stock has given the Heralds of the Storm more legitmacy as Space Marines among their peers that value such purity. Notable Heralds of the Storm Historic Members * Lord Marshall Cadlaine - The first Chapter Master for the Heralds of the Storm, Cadlaine was also a veteran from the ranks of the Penitent Knights, respected in the venerable Chapter for his quick adaptive strategies on the battlefield. Rarely completely outwitted by an enemy, Cadlaine led the then freshly born Chapter to glory until he was slain on the field by hails of heretical heavy weapons fighting Astartes of the Word Bearers Traitor Legion. * Lord Marshall Aethelar Perro - A hero and martyr both, Aethelar Perro led the Storm Heralds for two hundred years before committing to the destruction of the Dark Carrion. Always known to be oblivious to danger to himself, Aethelar embodied the selflessness of Space Marines, and when his time came at the hands of the Chaos Lord Daedelus in the dark, hopeless depths of the Carrion, he went to the God-Emperor's side knowing he had done his duty and served with honor. Active Members * Lord Marshall Cedrulan - A pious and righteous warrior, Cedrulan is an Astartes of cool demeanor but great wrath once his ire in invoked. Cedrulan has a sterling record of faithful service to the Emperor, even holding the honor of being the Champion and later Castellan of the Redeemers Great Company, issuing challenges to all manner of foes on the battlefield and shortly destroying them with his great Thunder Hammer. Clad in artisan Artificer Armor, Cedrulan personifies the duality of his Chapter- upholders of faith and law, and implacable angels of death as clearly as the halved colors of the Heralds do. * Castellan Galamor - The rightful and honorable master of the Avengers Great Company, Galamor as a neophyte was shown to bear an uncanny resemblance to the ancient hero of the Penitent Knights, Lord Crusader Galastram, and was given a name to fit his noble visage. A successor to the old Galastram, Galamor commands his Company with a steely determination and uncompromising attitude, paired well with his great two-handed chainsword. Chapter Appearance Chapter Colors The Power Armor of the Heralds of the Storm is halved in black and white, with the shoulder trims and aquila a bright golden. Grand Company heraldry is sported on the left poleyn (knee guard), the white squad specialty marking in marked on the right poleyn. Chapter Badge The heraldry of the Heralds of the Storm is a golden lightning bolt affront of two crossed stylized black swords on a field of white. Relations Allies *'Penitent Knights' Enemies *'Crow's Children' Notable Quotes By the Heralds of the Storm About the Heralds of the Storm Category:Imperium Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines Category:Unknown Geneseed Category:25th Founding